Re: [CPEO-MEF] Bechtel venture is picked to destroy depot's weapons

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

The following was posted by Arlen Crabb <ajcrabb@bellatlantic.net>
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I am amazed the amount of time it will take to destroy the chemical
weapons at Blue Grass Army Depot. Here at Aberdeen
Proving Grounds in 2000 they were building a plant to "neutralize"
the mustard agent here. The original plan called for
the total "neutralization" process to take until 2006 to destroy
all of the agent. But then along came September 11,
2001 and suddenly they are going to destroy all the mustard agent
by the end of 2002. The plant was redesigned and
operating procedures were changed. In May 2003 the first one ton
container was opened and the destruction of mustard
agent was under way. Currently they are projecting to have
"neutralized" the mustard agent by the end of 2003. My
question is this. If they accelerated the "neutralization" here at
Aberdeen Proving Grounds, why not at Blue Grass?  And
why design a new "plant" when a working plant is already in use?
The terror threat that stepped up the "neutralization"
at Aberdeen is still present, if you listen to the nighty news, so
why a decade to complete the process?

But that is just my view.

Arlen Crabb
Aberdeen Proving Grounds Restoration Advisory Board.
Aberdeen Proving Grounds Superfund Citizen Coalition.

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